HAWAII and my NEW BOOK!

As many of you know, the last few months have been a whirlwind for my wife and I, as our two-year trip around the world finally ended *sob* *gasp* *sob* But it's really nothing to cry about, because we made the decision to settle down in Hawaii! Four years ago, when I first started seriously writing, the thought of being a fulltime writer and moving to Hawaii would've sounded impossible, but now, because of the support of my INCREDIBLE readers, a couple of my dreams have come true. My beautiful wife (and editor), Adele, has also always wanted to live in Hawaii, so it's been an amazing experience for her, too. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

So what have I been up to? Well, at first it was mostly mundane stuff like getting a Hawaii driver's license and finding a place to stay, but lately we've really been able to take advantage of the laid back Hawaii lifestyle. We try to hit the beach as often as possible, here is the first selfie I took from Waikiki, where we swim and read and enjoy the beautiful weather here.

We've also both settled into a good routine. We work in the morning, enjoy the day in the afternoon, usually go do some exercise before dinner. The pic below is from the outdoor gym I use to do pull-ups, push-ups and dips, that sort of thing. I swear the rainbow isn't photo-shopped, they're everywhere!

I've also had some time to sign books, and I'm in the process of donating some to the Hawaiian library system. For those who have been asking about when signed books will be available again, it will be later this summer, perhaps July or August! Finally, I was lucky enough to be able to participate in an incredible charity event (Saint Baldrick's Foundation) to raise money for children's cancer. Here's me getting my head shaved as part of the event!



Although I haven't yet published a book in 2014, it won't be long now! The ebook of my 15th novel and the 1st of 2014 will be out on June 16th on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, with iBooks, Kobo and everywhere else following shortly after. The paperback will be available on Amazon.com on June 16th too. The book is called SLIP and is a YA dystopian novel that focuses on population control. Here's the synopsis:

Someone must die before another can be born...

As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.

But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?

And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?

In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.

ADD SLIP to your Goodreads Want-To-Read list by clicking HERE
My agent and I are also currently seeking a publisher for another of my novels, a YA post-apocalyptic fantasy called Brew. You can check it out HERE.
So I've got a ton more awesome stuff planned for the rest of 2014! I hope you all enjoy what I come up with, and once again, thanks for all your support and word-of-mouth advertising, I couldn't do what I LOVE without each and every one of you behind me!

Writing, Travelling, and Inspiration

Originally posted on Sab the Book Eater.

For those of you who don’t know my story, my wife, Adele, and I left our jobs 23 months ago to travel the world while I write young adult books. Over the course of almost two years, we’ve visited more than a dozen countries on six continents, and I’ve written and published seven young adult dystopian books (The Dwellers/Country Sagas). The trip, as well as transitioning into life as a fulltime writer, has been an absolute dream come true, and I owe everything to the incredible support of my readers and bloggers around the world!

So what has it been like? In a word, surreal. I never thought I’d be able to make a living writing—and I never in a million years thought I’d be able to travel around the world for two years. It’s like combining the two coolest things I could think of. At the same time, it’s somewhat challenging writing while travelling. For one, we’re always in these unbelievably awesome places, and I have to do my best to stick to a strict writing schedule to ensure my writing doesn’t start taking a back seat to sightseeing. Generally, I write in the morning, from 8am-12am, and average three to four thousand words per day, which has allowed me to publish a new book every two to three months. After my morning writing session, Adele and I have lunch together and then go sightseeing, hit whatever beach we’re near, or go for a hike. To save money, we usually stay in places that have a kitchen, so we can cook dinner rather than having to eat out. Adele usually cooks so that I can sneak in some more work in the evening (usually reader mail, promotional activities, and social networking). We eat, I do the dishes, and then we unwind by watching TV. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect daily routine!

The other challenge is living out of a suitcase and moving around a lot. It’s hard to feel composed and settled enough to get into a writing routine when you’re always on the go. Adele, who books all our travel, has been awesome in helping me with this challenge. For the most part, she’s managed to give us at least three to four weeks in each place, so we can unpack and feel more settled. That gives us more time to spread the sightseeing over weeks instead of days, thus allowing me to write each and every day. Although it means we haven’t been able to see as many places over the course of two years, it’s been the perfect balance for my career and getting the most out of our trip.

Other than those couple of challenges, writing while travelling has been the ultimate way to get inspired. Seeing all different types of people, cultures, landscapes, sunsets, climates, and languages keeps the creative juices flowing. I’m constantly pulling out my iPhone to take notes because something I see inspires me or gives me a new idea for a book, a plotline, or a character. I firmly believe that much of my recent success is tied to the inspiration gleaned while writing on this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Although our travels have generally inspired all of my books in some way, shape, or form, Fire Country in particular came from our travels. We were in Mexico (part of a four month jaunt around the Yucatan Peninsula) and I was working on my most popular series, The Dwellers Saga, when a character started speaking in my head. Her name was Siena, and she had an exceptionally strong voice with a slangy accent and funny way of speaking. I immediately pictured her with brown skin and living in an exceptionally hot climate with lizards scurrying through the dust, slaloming around cacti. For that day, I stopped worrying about my word count on The Dwellers Saga, and put it aside to take some notes from Siena’s voice in my head. In a single morning, the entire world of Fire Country was born! The parallels to the hot, dusty climate of Mexico are definitely evident in Fire Country. There’s no doubt in my mind that seeing lizards and cacti, being in a hot-weather environment, and interacting with the Mexican people, with their brown skin, great sense of humor, and strong accents, led to Siena appearing out of nowhere. I firmly believe that Fire Country, and what would later become The Country Saga, would never have entered my mind if we hadn’t been living in Mexico for a third of a year. I owe SO MUCH to our trip!

Even though our trip is finally at an end, the memories captured in my mind, in the pages of my books, and in the beautiful photographs that Adele and I took, will last for the rest of our lives. Now that we've settled in Hawaii (Oahu), it’s a new chapter in our lives and another set of experiences to look forward to!

Advice for my younger self

Originally posted on Dark Obsession Chronicles.

I often think about my past and what I would change if I could do it all again. Living with any sense of regret probably isn’t the healthiest thing, but I think learning from mistakes IS important, particularly when you can pass that advice on to the next generation.

So if I could hop in the Delorian or some other time travel machine and have a Pepsi with my sixteen-year-old self, what would advice would I give him?

Well, besides slipping him a list of sports teams to bet on and lottery numbers to play, the first and most important thing I’d say is: Follow. Your. Heart. Although there’s a lot that can be said about making smart decisions and using your brain to make them, I personally believe that life is too short to be pragmatic all the time. Sometimes what seems like the smart decision, is really just the easy one and it won’t lead you to true happiness. For me, I went into accounting because I was reasonably good at it and I was pretty much guaranteed a decent-paying job after I graduated from college. I even stuck with it for 7 years! But was I ever really happy in that job? No. I made some good friends, saved a bit of money, and was able to move to Australia because of it though, so I don’t regret any of it, but I could have been doing something I loved all those years…writing books.

The next thing I would say is: If it doesn’t feel right it’s probably not right. That might come across as rather cryptic, but if interpreted correctly, would save him a lot of pain in the future. That being said, I wouldn’t want my younger self to avoid all the mistakes I made, as sometimes it’s our mistakes that allow us to grow the most and become a better version of ourselves.

Finally, I would tell teenager David Estes to enjoy every moment. The years pass by in a flash, and it’s the small moments in our lives that we regret not having appreciated at the time. Enjoy those moments when they’re happening, not ten years down the line when you wish you could do it all over again. Laugh more. Argue less. Count your blessings.

Although I still consider myself young at 33 years old (don’t you dare say I’m not!), to anyone younger out there who’s trying to find your way in life, I’d say to enjoy life NOW. Don’t always be looking ahead to a time you think will be better, like retirement. Love your high school years, love your college years, and love your adult lives. Every stage of your life, even the ones that feel the most awkward, are worth living to the fullest and equally important. Be yourself and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not special, because you are. Dream big and fight for what you believe in. Treat others with kindness and pay kindness paid to you forward to others who need it. Love with all your heart and don’t be afraid to let it be broken sometimes. It will heal and it will become stronger. Love you for you, and don’t try to remake yourself to satisfy someone else. Be you. Perfectly imperfect.

Now if I could just follow all my own advice, I could be the happiest man alive! In any case, we’re all human and we’re all connected and trying to live our lives as best as we can. And if we fail, we’re always allowed to get back up, even if we need someone to pull us from the front and push us from behind.